Boeing’s KC-46A Refuels F-16 in Flight

[Avionics Today 01-27-2016] Boeing and U.S. Air Force aircrews completed the KC-46A tanker’s first refueling flight. Following takeoff from Boeing Field in Seattle, Wa., the KC-46A test team worked through a series of test points before offloading 1,600 pounds of fuel to an F-16 fighter aircraft flying at 20,000 feet.

The KC-46A flew with the Rockwell Collins Remote Vision System (RVS), a combination of 2D and 3D technologies in both visible and long-wave infrared spectrums, providing visual information to support refueling operations.

The aircraft will soon begin refueling a number of other military aircraft as well, including a C-17, F/A-18, A-10 and AV-8B.

As part of a contract awarded in 2011 to design and develop the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation tanker aircraft, Boeing is building four test aircraft — two are currently configured as 767-2Cs and two as KC-46A tankers.